Grow herbs and use them in your kitchen, crafts, and herbal remedies. Herbs are a great introduction to gardening, and they're also a wonderful way to get your children interested in nature.
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Monday

Monday Odds and Ends

Happy Monday. If the cold weather is getting you down, try making yourself a cup of soothing lemon balm tea. Lemon balm has natural antidepressant properties, so it may help brighten your outlook until the clouds clear. Throw in some chamomile for its calming effects, too. If you're not growing lemon balm in your garden, put it on your list for spring planting. It's a member of the mint family and very easy to maintain. It's handy in the kitchen and useful in a number of home remedies, too.

Be Savvi - If you have a moment, head over to the Savvi Savings Site to discover why there's gold in your vegetable drawer. I'm a contributor to their blog, and today's post contains lists of fresh fruits and veggies: those best kept refrigerated; those best kept at room temperature; and items best ripened at room temperature and then stored in the fridge.

You'll find tips on ripening produce artificially, and there's also a list of produce items you can grow into plants. The list includes a few you may not know about like pomegranates and mangos (from seed). Finding Gold in Your Vegetable Drawer

Check out a Few Essential Oil

If you've been planning to start a collection of essential oils, here are a couple of suggestions:

Lavender oil - Lavender added to potpourri, or just a handful of dried lavender buds, can be used in aromatherapy as an aid to relaxation. The linalyl acetate in lavender works to ease tight muscles, especially the muscles of the neck and back. If you keep a dish of lavender buds in your bathroom and refresh them with a few drops of essential oil weekly, you'll have a sweet smelling bathroom and a relaxing environment for a hot bath. It never lets me down. For the guest bath, I have a stoppered bottle. When I want to release some lavender fragrance to freshen the room, I just remove the cork for a few hours.

Peppermint oil - Peppermint oil is great at improving concentration, and it can refresh the inside of a pair of stinky sneakers, too. If you have a headache, add a couple of drops to simmering potpourri or place a drop on a moistened handkerchief and inhale the aroma for a minute or so.

Pine or rosemary oil - If that pine scented candle from Christmas has lost its fragrance, add a couple of drops of essential oil to the hot wax. (Light the candle and wait 10 minutes for a little wax to melt; then add three to five drops of oil to the wax.) It's one way to add oomph to an old candle and get your money's worth to the very bottom of the wick. Your Christmas tree may be history, but the smell of pine or rosemary can still inspire magic.

Start Saving for Spring Gardening

Repurpose your Plastics - If you're planning your gardening projects, start saving your two liter bottles and plastic milk jugs. They're great for starting plants or creating water reservoirs in potted patio or deck plants. They also make handy traps for mosquitoes. You can find links to great projects using two liter bottles and jugs on my Pinterest Gardening Ideas board (There's a thumbnail link at the bottom of this page. Just click through.)